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Stark Industries, Tuesday, Sept. 25

Victor didn't exactly mind that nobody from his team was coming to visit him this weekend. It was a long trip, it wasn't like they were his parents, and it seemed to him like keeping people from home off the island made things easier with both Karolinas.

But between that and Remedios vanishing as suddenly as she came, he was ... maybe a little melancholy. Not lonely, exactly, but on the edge of it.

As a seeming comment on the moping, JARVIS put sad country songs on the store stereo. Victor started to protest, then -- deciding country music was about right for today -- settled in with some homework for one of his online math classes.

He'd get around to repairing things later.

[OOC: Open shop.]

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"He -- wow, did your girlfriend run away with your dog and your truck?" Olive asked as she stepped into the shop, Ally padding along beside on her leash. "I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to listen to music this sad and twangy unless you're also killing a fifth of Jack Daniels by yourself."

"The shop AI took control of the stereo," Victor answered. "I think JARVIS thought I was being emo."

He didn't look overly distressed as he came around the counter to give Ally a pat, though. "Want me to turn it off? Also, hi there."

"Hi," Olive said cheerily as Ally eagerly sniffed at Victor. "Don't turn it off on my behalf." The fact that the shop had AI -- and that it had a name -- seemed to be secondary to her other concern. "Why'd...JARVIS decide you were emo?" She widened her eyes sympathetically. "Is it 'cause you miss your mustache?"

She didn't, for the record.

"I still think that in six months, people will look back and say 'you know, Vic was on to something with that mustache thing,'" Victor said, undaunted. "I'll be a fashion icon."

He was going to cling -- or at least claim to cling -- to his affection for the mustache forever, and against all reason.

He shrugged, willing Jarvis not to interject commentary on what he said next. "I wasn't that emo. Maybe a little bummed nobody can come this weekend."

Olive's sarcasm evaporated out of her expression, replaced with sympathy. "Aw, really? I mean, it's kind of nice you want people to come. I tried to pay my parents to stay home but my mom said to just save the money for their nursing home fund."

She really had. Olive's mom was a special lady.

"I think that's one advantage of not having parents," Victor ventured thoughtfully. "Less embarrassment potential with friends, so you're happy to see them. Plus, hopefully I'm not going to end up paying for their nursing homes."

He glanced up. "So you get both parents descending on you, huh?"

"And little brother," Olive sighed. At least, that was what she thought was happening. "I'm glad they're coming, but I have no idea how I'm going to explain, you know, anything."

She leaned a hip on the counter, tilting her head. "But that's Future Olive's problem. Who do I get to be sad about not meeting this weekend?"

"I promise not to make ~~meta~~ Terminator jokes around them," Victor said lightly, if uneasily. He hadn't really considered how a platoon of totally normal people would change the island for a weekend; he hoped everything would be okay.

"And you are not meeting the people I live with," he admitted, and rose to also rest against the counter. "I really wanted Chase and Molly to come. But, you know. It's a long way, everybody's busy, and I didn't want to make some huge drama out of it."

Just enough drama that Jarvis would bring on the Glen Campbell.

"I worry more about those...visually unique people," Olive admitted. "They'll want to meet my teachers, and...well, I'm in the pony class, so." She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Who're Molly and Chase? Like, guardian-type people?"

Oh, Olive.

Um. Victor ducked his head.

"Well, Chase is 18, so kind of ...?"

So, no. Not really guardians.

Olive lifted a brow curiously. "...yeah, no," she said, her tone more curious than anything. "Okay, wait. Your mom and dad aren't in the picture, so...who is? Do you have anyone looking out for you, like, adult-wise?"

This was weirdly embarrassing, maybe because Olive was the first person Victor had explained his situation to who seemed like she actually cared and didn't have something worse going on herself.

The long silence probably answered her question, but Victor gave it a go at answering in words anyhow.

"After my mom got killed," he said carefully, "I kind of went underground with some people our age in a similar situation. There ... weren't a lot of options."

Not that he'd exactly been in prime condition to logic things through, really.

Olive gave a little start at 'got killed' -- before now, she'd just thought Victor's mom had...you know, passed away. Normally. Of something tragic but predictable, like cancer or something. It hadn't occurred to her that it might have been anything else.

Bless her privileged little heart.

"There weren't?" she asked, very quietly. "I mean...no relatives?"

He was a robot. The question sounded really stupid to her, suddenly.

Victor snorted involuntarily.

"If my mom had living family she cut ties a while back," he said. (Which he understood: Memory implants only went so far, and no one wanted the kind of family scrutiny that went with suddenly acquiring a teenage son.)

"The guy who made ... my father, or whatever you'd call him, is around, but as far as I know he doesn't know I exist" -- Victor was wrong on this point -- "and I'm not about to turn up at his lab. I mean, what would you even say?"

Edited 2012-09-26 00:25 (UTC)

"I'd start by bringing some kind of ball and asking him if he wants to play catch, but I have a sick sense of humor and he's not my dad," Olive said, attempting a tiny smile before it faded away to seriousness again. "So you hid out with other teenagers? Do all of them have powers or whatever, too?"

And somewhere in the back of her mind, she was remembering that Karolina and Victor knew each other from home, too. She would have to ask her roommate about that, at some point -- right now, she was just trying to put the pieces together without attempting to fit new ones in, too.

"My dad was the, um, evil robot. Dr. Pym made him, and he's my grandfather-type-thing," Victor clarified. "So maybe I should start by asking him to tell me what things were like back in the old days."

Hank would love that. Especially what with not even being 40 yet.

"And yeah, most of them?" he said. "I mean, Chase doesn't, but Mol's super-strong, Nico does magic ... it's kind of a weird group." He said this with affection.

"Ask him if the whole world was in black and white, like the old TV shows are," Olive advised. "Chip once asked my dad that when he was really young, like right after we first got him, and I thought Dad was going to pull something laughing."

The rest of Victor's statement made her pause, thoughtful. "No wonder things don't really faze you here, though," she said with a little smile. "You're used to being around teenagers who can do crazy shit."

"Yeah, the last time I talked to them on the phone was the weekend I was a girl?" Victor offered. "Nico called 'cause they had literal zombies, but she decided I should stay here until the breasts went away. My life is weird."

Edited 2012-09-26 01:05 (UTC)

"Well, they'd probably get in the way of fighting the zombies," Olive noted helpfully. "Boobs are tricky like that. Most of us can barely function."

Lies. Per usual.

"But yeah. Poor you. In a way, I'm jealous. You didn't have quite my learning curve," she mused. "You were just...used to weirdness already."

Victor went a little pink. "I didn't mean that," he said. "She just knew I was going to be distracted."

Teenage boys who happened to be androids were still, predictably, teenage boys in certain ways.

"Anyhow, you're right. No learning curve on the superpowers. Though I have to say, there's enough weird stuff here to throw just about anybody. Like, I never had a talking raven at home."

"Do you have one now?" Olive asked, lifting a brow before making the leap. "Oh, oh, your thingie this weekend was a raven?" Her nose wrinkled a little. "Like, a big black bird?"

Victor nodded, looking suspicious at the wrinkled nose. "Uh-huh. She was -- wait, what's wrong with ravens?"

"Nothing. Mine was just more of the small-and-cute variety," Olive replied. "More cuddleable. If there's an animal following me around, I'd like one I can pet."

Ally, who was patiently napping on Olive's foot now, spoke to this truth.

"Technically you can pet a raven," Victor said, mostly to be a dick. "Okay, so feathers aren't as soft as fur, but you're still being, like, biased against birds."

"You're right," Olive said, very repentant. Really. "I'm totally birdist. It's something I struggle with. But, sorry, my handheld monkey was awesome and I'm not budging on this."

"Remedios could fly," Victor said, also not winning awards for repentance. "I'll take that over some monkey you have to carry around."

"Ossiande could climb things and crawl in spaces I can't," Olive replied, raising her brows. "Plus he had wee clever hands."

Victor shrugged. "Ravens use tools with their beaks," he said. "And they're crazy smart. But, okay, wee clever hands are almost as good."

"Man, they'd make an awesome little team," Olive decided. "With her wings and his wee little hands. I mean, perfect animal, right there. They could spy on people and use opposable thumbs."

"Like flying monkeys, except not working for a bad witch," Victor said, brightening. "Those would be the coolest talking animals ever."

"And yeah, they'd also still talk," Olive agreed happily. "I dunno if we could send them on little missions, though. Did yours act all clingy?"

"Like, it hurt if she got too far away?" Victor checked. "... yeah. Okay, so maybe they'd suck at spying. Plus, mine was kind of like having my mom following me around. She wanted to give advice, did yours?"

"He did not approve of my diet of Pop Tarts and coffee," Olive said, shaking her head. "So, you know, actually probably more of a hardass than my actual parents are. But still! Teeny tiny talking monkey! It was kinda awesome."

"Yeah, I wouldn't have minded if they stuck around," Victor nodded. "I mean, might cause a couple dorm room issues for the people with big animals, but other than that it would be awesome."

"Yeah, I was kinda bummed when I woke up yesterday morning and he was gone," Olive admitted wistfully. "He was like my own little Jiminy Cricket. But fuzzy. And not a bug."

Edited 2012-09-26 02:40 (UTC)

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Stark Industries, Tuesday, Sept. 25

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